Tales and cocktails: get more than you bargained for at whisky bars and pubs

Until recently, I’d never really tried Scotch whisky in any form other than a dram of the finest single malt or a blended whisky with a soft drink.

That is until I tried making whisky cocktails at a masterclass. As I found out then, using single malts in cocktails is a relatively new development.

In our Whisky Month Q&A, whisky expert Charlie Maclean suggested adding water to your malt for appreciation, to bring out flavours and aromas, but to avoid ice. For pleasure, adding soda, ginger ale or a soft drink to a blend or American bourbon is fine. In the case of Scotch though, it’s a definite no. Or so you would think.

Some of Scotland’s best whisky bars have been experimenting with using single malts in their cocktails and have come up with some exceptional and popular results. It’s a great way for complete novices, who haven’t really liked the taste of whisky in the past, to begin to access Scotland’s complex national drink.

Barman at Glenfiddich's Malt Barn mixes some whisky cocktails

Cocktail shakers at Blythswood Square Hotel, Glasgow

Bon Vivant bar manager Scott mixes some whisky cocktails

The Abbotsford Bar, one of Edinburgh's whisky pubs

The Oak Tree Inn near Loch Lomond

Three whisky bars in Edinburgh; Scotch, WHISKI and Panda & Sons were kind enough to offer us cocktail recipes for you to try at home. If you’d rather leave it to the experts, you can drop by and try the cocktails below or choose one from their extensive menus.

And there’s plenty more whisky pubs and bars across Scotland, all world-renowned for their vibrant ambience. It can often be easy to take your surroundings for granted when you’re enjoying a dram in the company of your friends or loved ones or listening to live traditional or folk music. But you might be surprised when you scratch the surface and uncover the stories behind your favourite watering holes.

The Stein Inn, for instance, is actually the oldest tavern on the Isle of Skye, while the Oak Tree Inn on the shores of Loch Lomond was constructed from local recycled materials on the site of where famed outlaw Rob Roy MacGregor would have kept his livestock.

Sandy Bells may look like a curious and inviting old pub in the centre of Edinburgh, but in the 1960s it was a hotspot for writers and poets as well as the epicentre of a folk music revival, with the likes of Billy Connolly and the Dubliners first cutting their teeth there.